Afghanistan: Calls for UN’s support

Source: CCTV.com | 11-24-2006 11:14

A UN envoy says Afghanistan needs "sustained support and assistance" from the international community. This is to ensure that the Taliban insurgency and increasing drug production won't derail the country on its path to democracy.

Wrapping up a 10-member UN Security Council mission to the strife torn country, Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima said that without sustained support, there is no guarantee that Afghanistan "will not slide back into conflict and a failed state again".

The Japanese Ambassador said attacks by the Taliban have doubled this year, and opium poppy cultivation increased by almost 60 percent last year. And these are seen as threats to the fragile state.

"The confidence of the Afghan public in the institutions and processes appear to have been shaken, giving rise to some sense of sliding-back. The increasing insecurity in parts of the country, particularly in the south and southeast, is worryingly affecting rehabilitation and reconstruction work done by the Afghans, and by the UN, and the other international partners," said Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, who is the permanent

This is the first UN Security Council mission to Afghanistan in three years. Throughout the visit Mr. Oshima stressed the 15-member body's continued commitment to Afghanistan's recovery, and in particular the importance of the Afghan Compact. This is a five-year blueprint for reconstruction that was signed ten months ago.

A full report on the mission's outcomes is being prepared and will be circulated to all Member States of the UN Security Council ahead of a public meeting on Afghanistan early next month.

Editor:Ji Xuewen